Letters to the editor for Friday, April 12, 2013

Published: Friday, April 12, 2013 at 5:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 6:23 p.m.

Concern about golf course

I read with interest the article on Tailwinds Development's plans for the DeLand Country Club and golf course. It lies three blocks west of my house.

I am a 54-year resident of Central Florida and a 36-year resident of Country Club Estates. I have hated water-sucking golf courses since I realized what developers have done to a fragile Florida ecology. Do I need to describe the wasteland that is Florida, south of DeBary? Does anyone realize why Blue Spring is green?

It seems that the only thing worse than dieldrin-laced water (the "elephant in the room" during the recent meeting) will be no water at all here in Florida: No water for our municipalities to sanitize for us by adding chemicals designed to keep us safe from harm — until, of course, those are found to be, like dieldrin, hazardous to our health.

What may seem like a problem particular to Country Club Estates and the Blue Spring Basin is really a problem for all of Florida. Citizens have let developers' greed and their own perceived need for more and better "stuff" that can be acquired even "closer to home" than ever, to override common sense and the common good.

I personally would like to see the golf course returned to natural Florida green space, purchased by the county or city or both, to be used and maintained for a park. At least rain water will have a place to percolate down to the aquifer — something that won't happen when Tailwinds puts up its "240 new single-family homes and some tens of thousands of square feet of new commercial space."

If you aren't buying drinking water now, fellow Floridians, you will be. Potable water is already in short supply, and water at all is going to get scarcer.

JUDY RAYMOND

DeLand

Top cop's on track

Police Chief Mike Chitwood is doing a great job for the city of Daytona Beach. Lawbreakers don't need to be coddled. Landlords like John Hinton should check their properties occasionally.

JACKIE KILTY

Edgewater

Chief works hard for city

People from other cities have been writing to say how they feel about Daytona Beach Police Chief Chitwood.

Since I live in Daytona Beach, I wanted to tell the real story. Yes, our chief is all those good things and more. My husband and I have seen him stop at a fender-bender and direct traffic around the vehicles. We've seen him riding his bike downtown on Beach Street, and in his unmarked car at night (along with the rest of his officers) chasing a "bad guy." He is a hands-on chief and doesn't ask his officers to do anything he wouldn't do. He has made our city safer and we sleep better at night knowing that.

We don't care what he calls them — there are some people who really are scumbags and slumlords. So leave him alone, and let him do his job!

VERONICA TEW

Daytona Beach

Chitwood's not a bully

I read the letter to the editor on April 3, "Chief was offensive." What is it? Offensive or bullying? Those who can, do. Those who can't, bully. I must admit that the information I have seen and read indicates that Chief Mike Chitwood is a doer.

I would invite the writer of that letter to go to a couple of these areas of Daytona Beach that he makes mention of, and just walk around after dark — or send his son or daughter into those apartments. I bet he would change his thinking. There are mean people in this world who do mean things to innocent people.

I have been here in this area off and on for almost 10 years. I love being here and support the actions of the chief, as do most people I talk to. Sometimes you have to call it like you see it, because you have to love a person who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. Webster says a bully is a blustering, browbeating person, or one who is habitually cruel to others who are weaker. Chief Chitwood is far from that.

LENNY MILLHOLLAND

New Smyrna Beach

"Sensible" is being overused

President Obama's phrase, "sensible gun control," is being embraced by all the liberals today. In answer to the letter titled "Sensible control of guns" in a recent newspaper, I would like to address the writer's apparent misunderstanding of the Second Amendment.

This amendment was created after the American Revolution. Our founding fathers determined that our nation must always be armed against any future tyranny. Yes, they used muskets; but the Second Amendment was written for future generations, because of the tyranny of Britain. This amendment does not mention types of firearms, because it is strictly about our right to own them — and that such a right is not to be infringed.

As for the term "assault weapon" — anything used to harm another human can be considered an assault weapon, even a baseball bat. The student who attacked students recently in Texas used a knife, or assault weapon. All firearms, including the weapons the writer mentions, fire one bullet for each pull of the trigger, including the musket. The assault weapon sounds menacing, but doesn't assault anyone by itself.

Our weapons have never escaped from our safe and killed someone.

As for his mention of car owners — driving is a privilege, while owning firearms is a right guaranteed by the Constitution. The only "sensible" thing to do is to look directly at a mentally ill killer, and find a way to keep the firearms out of his hands. I and my husband went through the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and it is sufficient. The sensible solution that will work is finding a way to report the mentally ill threat, and connect him to the present background check. I suggest all who continually mention muskets should study history to discover the true purpose for our amendments. That's sensible.

MARY CROWE

Samsula

How to make rail relevant

In response to the letter, "SunRail's a white elephant": I agree, there really isn't any reason for people to use it, except for the people that don't own a car.

Now, if they would stop wasting billions on expanding the freeways and building more and more freeways — and leave people sitting in gridlock for hours at $4-$5 a gallon, watching the train whiz by, then people would have an incentive to use SunRail, and it would actually pay for itself.

<p class="bold allcaps">Concern about golf course</p>
<p>I read with interest the article on Tailwinds Development's plans for the DeLand Country Club and golf course. It lies three blocks west of my house. </p><p>I am a 54-year resident of Central Florida and a 36-year resident of Country Club Estates. I have hated water-sucking golf courses since I realized what developers have done to a fragile Florida ecology. Do I need to describe the wasteland that is Florida, south of DeBary? Does anyone realize why Blue Spring is green? </p><p>It seems that the only thing worse than dieldrin-laced water (the "elephant in the room" during the recent meeting) will be no water at all here in Florida: No water for our municipalities to sanitize for us by adding chemicals designed to keep us safe from harm &mdash; until, of course, those are found to be, like dieldrin, hazardous to our health. </p><p>What may seem like a problem particular to Country Club Estates and the Blue Spring Basin is really a problem for all of Florida. Citizens have let developers' greed and their own perceived need for more and better "stuff" that can be acquired even "closer to home" than ever, to override common sense and the common good. </p><p>I personally would like to see the golf course returned to natural Florida green space, purchased by the county or city or both, to be used and maintained for a park. At least rain water will have a place to percolate down to the aquifer &mdash; something that won't happen when Tailwinds puts up its "240 new single-family homes and some tens of thousands of square feet of new commercial space." </p><p>If you aren't buying drinking water now, fellow Floridians, you will be. Potable water is already in short supply, and water at all is going to get scarcer.</p><p><b>JUDY RAYMOND</p><p>DeLand</p><p>Top cop's on track </b></p><p> </p><p>Police Chief Mike Chitwood is doing a great job for the city of Daytona Beach. Lawbreakers don't need to be coddled. Landlords like John Hinton should check their properties occasionally.</p><p><b>JACKIE KILTY</p><p>Edgewater</p><p> </p><p>Chief works hard for city </b></p><p> </p><p>People from other cities have been writing to say how they feel about Daytona Beach Police Chief Chitwood. </p><p>Since I live in Daytona Beach, I wanted to tell the real story. Yes, our chief is all those good things and more. My husband and I have seen him stop at a fender-bender and direct traffic around the vehicles. We've seen him riding his bike downtown on Beach Street, and in his unmarked car at night (along with the rest of his officers) chasing a "bad guy." He is a hands-on chief and doesn't ask his officers to do anything he wouldn't do. He has made our city safer and we sleep better at night knowing that. </p><p>We don't care what he calls them &mdash; there are some people who really are scumbags and slumlords. So leave him alone, and let him do his job!</p><p><b>VERONICA TEW</p><p>Daytona Beach</p><p>Chitwood's not a bully</b> </p><p> </p><p>I read the letter to the editor on April 3, "Chief was offensive." What is it? Offensive or bullying? Those who can, do. Those who can't, bully. I must admit that the information I have seen and read indicates that Chief Mike Chitwood is a doer. </p><p>I would invite the writer of that letter to go to a couple of these areas of Daytona Beach that he makes mention of, and just walk around after dark &mdash; or send his son or daughter into those apartments. I bet he would change his thinking. There are mean people in this world who do mean things to innocent people. </p><p>I have been here in this area off and on for almost 10 years. I love being here and support the actions of the chief, as do most people I talk to. Sometimes you have to call it like you see it, because you have to love a person who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. Webster says a bully is a blustering, browbeating person, or one who is habitually cruel to others who are weaker. Chief Chitwood is far from that.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><b>LENNY MILLHOLLAND</p><p> </p><p>New Smyrna Beach</p><p>"Sensible" is being overused</b> </p><p> </p><p>President Obama's phrase, "sensible gun control," is being embraced by all the liberals today. In answer to the letter titled "Sensible control of guns" in a recent newspaper, I would like to address the writer's apparent misunderstanding of the Second Amendment. </p><p>This amendment was created after the American Revolution. Our founding fathers determined that our nation must always be armed against any future tyranny. Yes, they used muskets; but the Second Amendment was written for future generations, because of the tyranny of Britain. This amendment does not mention types of firearms, because it is strictly about our right to own them &mdash; and that such a right is not to be infringed. </p><p>As for the term "assault weapon" &mdash; anything used to harm another human can be considered an assault weapon, even a baseball bat. The student who attacked students recently in Texas used a knife, or assault weapon. All firearms, including the weapons the writer mentions, fire one bullet for each pull of the trigger, including the musket. The assault weapon sounds menacing, but doesn't assault anyone by itself. </p><p>Our weapons have never escaped from our safe and killed someone. </p><p>As for his mention of car owners &mdash; driving is a privilege, while owning firearms is a right guaranteed by the Constitution. The only "sensible" thing to do is to look directly at a mentally ill killer, and find a way to keep the firearms out of his hands. I and my husband went through the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and it is sufficient. The sensible solution that will work is finding a way to report the mentally ill threat, and connect him to the present background check. I suggest all who continually mention muskets should study history to discover the true purpose for our amendments. That's sensible.</p><p><b>MARY CROWE</p><p>Samsula</p><p>How to make rail relevant </b></p><p> </p><p>In response to the letter, "SunRail's a white elephant": I agree, there really isn't any reason for people to use it, except for the people that don't own a car. </p><p>Now, if they would stop wasting billions on expanding the freeways and building more and more freeways &mdash; and leave people sitting in gridlock for hours at $4-$5 a gallon, watching the train whiz by, then people would have an incentive to use SunRail, and it would actually pay for itself.</p><p><b>RICK KANE</p><p>Daytona Beach</b></p>